


Fatal Promises

by AryllBricen



Series: Want For Nothing; Need For Everything [8]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 16:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21122066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AryllBricen/pseuds/AryllBricen
Summary: This preview is of yet another story I'm working on. I'm trying to decide which to do first so please, if you have a preference, let me know.





	Fatal Promises

The room was dim, the only real light coming from the two monitors on either side of the bed and the small light in the corner. An IV was hung on a metal pole above two occupants of the room, unused and the only sounds in the room were ragged breathing and the beeping of the heart monitor. John sighed, miserably, leaning forward over his knees in the lounge chair beside a medical bed as he held a pale green, clawed hand in his own. The Wraith lay motionless, a thin blanket pulled up to just above his abdomen, his chest slowly rising and falling as he slept, soundlessly. His long unkempt hair lay sprawled beneath his head against the pillow. Slowly, the Colonel rubbed small circles over the patient’s knuckles before lifting the hand and placing a soft kiss over the Wraith’s fingers. Quiet footsteps alerted John of another presence and he looked up to see Dr. Keller and Dr. McKay standing at the door with grim expressions. After a moment, the Colonel stood, gently placing the Wraith’s hand on the bed before making his way over to the two Doctors.  
“Well?”  
Dr. Keller and Dr. McKay glanced at each other, uneasily then back at John who looked rather rugged.  
“Colonel, perhaps you should go rest first, get a shower-”  
“What’s wrong with him?” Sheppard snapped and both Doctors sighed, looking at the clipboards in their hands. Dr. Keller took a step forward, brushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she looked the Colonel in the eye.  
“Sir, we...we think he might have cancer….”  
John froze in place, eyes wide and didn’t respond for several minutes. Signals were blaring in his mind, yelling at him to turn away and leave, but he couldn’t move.  
“Sheppard...?” McKay said, slowly, reaching his hand out to grip his friend’s shoulder. John blinked and looked at him in disbelief.  
“How is that even possible?! He’s not human, how can he even-”  
“Sh-Sheppard?” a raspy, deep voice croaked from behind him and John stopped immediately. Slowly, he turned and looked at the Wraith who was now awake and gazing at him in worry, amber eyes half-closed in exhaustion.  
“Hey…” John whispered, softly, walking back over to his side in three long strides before sitting in the chair beside him.  
“Hey, Todd. How’re you feeling?” he inquired, quietly, taking the Wraith’s hand in his own once again. The alien male grimaced as he shifted and stared at the Colonel with a heavy gaze.  
“I...can barely move anymore...It is painful…” he admitted, softly as John gently gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.  
“D-Dr. Keller...Dr. McKay...have you discovered what ails me?” Todd inquired, turning his head to look at the two silent humans in the doorway.  
“Well-”  
“They’re working on it, Todd,” John assured the Wraith, cutting Dr. Keller off.  
“Sir, he deserves to know-”  
“They’re. Working. On. It,” the Colonel snapped, saying each word with a dangerous growl.  
“Sheppard...I want to know what’s wrong with me…” Todd tried to reason, but John shook his head.  
“Nothing’s wrong with you-”  
“Sir!”  
“There’s nothing wrong with him!” Sheppard snapped, furiously glaring daggers at her.  
“Damnit, John! What do you want me to do?! We can’t fix him! He has cancer!” Dr. Keller finally snapped, unable to control her outburst. Everyone froze and McKay went pale, shifting his gaze to look at Todd. The Wraith, at first, seemed to have not heard her due to his lack of reaction. He simply sighed and let his head fall back against the pillow. John stared at the floor for many moments before he gently put Todd’s hand across his abdomen before walking past Dr. Keller and Dr. McKay who both stumbled out of the way.  
“Dr. McKay…” Todd murmured, softly gaining the attention of the skittish doctor who jumped, turning to look at him.  
“Todd...I’m really sorry…” he sighed, coming to the Wraith’s side. Todd raised his trembling hand in a motion for him to wait. Dr.McKay halted in his advance, staring at the Wraith, wide-eyed as Todd suddenly erupted in a horrid coughing fit. He hacked for several minutes, gasping for air in between and had gripped his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut. After another minute, he finally managed to calm his respiratory system, he leaned his head back and took a shaky breath.  
“It...is not your doing...Dr. McKay…” he replied, closing his eyes and slowly regulating his breathing. After many moments of silence, Rodney slowly reached out and placed his palm gently against the Wraith’s shoulder, startling him, followed by a pained grimace, but nonetheless accepted as comfort. Todd tried a smile in an attempt to lighten the poor doctor’s mood, but it was fairly useless. Rodney sighed, rounding the bed and settling in the chair beside the suffering Wraith who studied him, curiously with half-closed amber eyes.  
“Are you...not going to...go after...Sheppard…?”  
“No point...it’s best we just let him cool off…”  
The Wraith nodded, slowly, grimacing at the motion before he closed his eyes, his breath coming in sharp raspy wheezes.  
“You alright?” Rodney asked when he noticed the slight change in breathing as he stood and checked the monitors. The Wraith held up his trembling hand and waved in a motion to explain he was fine, but McKay didn’t seem too convinced. He leaned over and looked at Todd seriously when the Wraith opened his eyes again.  
“Todd, we’re trying to help you. We can’t do that if you don’t cooperate.”  
The Wraith tried a dirty glare, but it didn’t seem nearly as intimidating from his feeble position.  
“You...made it...qu-quite obvious….that what is wrong with….with me is fatal…” he stammered, bitterly, but McKay just shook his head.  
“It could be. But the point is, you have people, friends, here that don’t want to see you die. Not to mention the man who just walked out of here. He loves you, which is insane, but somehow it’s true. He wouldn’t be able to take it if you died. I don’t know what he’d do if you did. You have a reason to live, Todd. He’s your reason and you’re his. So do us all a favor and just cooperate,” McKay snapped, seeming to have a slight peek in anger which was uncommon for the Doctor. The Wraith stared at him, looking almost surprised before he nodded, slowly. McKay exhaled as if his outburst had drained him and looked down at Todd.  
“Now, what’s wrong?”  
The Wraith tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but only hissed in pain when he moved. He grasped his chest, growling softly, his eyes screwed shut and his lungs heaving. After a moment, he managed to calm himself and opened his eyes once again.  
“The...pain worsens...b-by the minute…” he explained, weakly, his voice barely audible now. McKay found himself leaning in to hear better. He nodded, slightly and sighed, checking the monitors again.  
“Todd...can you think of anything we could do to help you…?”  
“No,” the Wraith snapped quickly which made the Doctor raise a brow at the swiftness of his answer.  
“Todd….” he murmured, slowly.  
“Tell me you aren’t lying to me, right now…”  
The Wraith shoved himself up to his elbows, narrowing his eyes darkly at him with a scowl.  
“I said-” he stopped, mid-sentence, dropping down once again when the pain struck him and he struggled to keep in a howl, his form trembling as he screwed his eyes shut and ground his jagged teeth together. McKay gripped his shoulders to keep him from moving any further than he already had.  
“Todd, what can help you? I know you know!” the Doctor snapped and the Wraith pried one eye open to glare at him.  
“Nothing-!”  
“Todd, so help me, I will get Sheppard-”  
“No!” the Wraith snarled darkly as he gripped the Doctor’s wrist who went to glare at him but realized the look in his eyes had changed. They had an almost desperate look to them beneath the pain and this startled Rodney. He’d never seen such a vulnerable look on a Wraith. The Doctor let go of him and sat down, looking at him.  
“Todd...why won’t you tell me how to help you…?”  
The Wraith sighed, closing his eyes as he let his head fall back against the pillow.  
“I...do not want...any of you….t-to get hurt...to h-help me…” he rasped, quietly and the Doctor raised a brow at the sincere tone in the Wraith’s voice.  
“You’ve changed….” Rodney murmured softly and the Wraith looked at him, confused.  
“What…?”  
“You’ve changed. You aren’t the same Wraith we met back then...John changed you…”  
The Wraith came to a halt in his thoughts, staring blankly at the Doctor nearly dumbfounded.  
“I...I don’t understand…”  
Rodney sighed as he adjusted himself in the chair beside his patient so that he faced him completely.  
“Todd...do you remember how you and I first met?”  
The Wraith nodded, thinking back with almost a fond smile.  
“Yes, I do. You and your team found me and John in the forest on the Genii’s planet. But why?”  
“You saved John. Why?”  
“Because...he saved mine.”  
“That’s all it was…?”  
“...I suppose not…”  
“Then what was it?”  
“...I suppose I felt a connection with him," the Wraith admitted and McKay went to say something but noticed the monitor screens and sighed.  
"I'll let you rest..." was all he said as he stood and left the room.


End file.
